Flying is one of the safest forms of transport. But what happens when tragedy strikes? From human error and accidents to mechanical faults and design flaws, the success of aviation history is punctuated with disaster and catastrophe. It's rare, but it does happen. Follow experts as they determine what went wrong and work out how to prevent these horrific tragedies from happening again. Examine the wrecks and official records, and hear from eyewitnesses, passengers and aviation experts as we reconstruct some of the most tragic disasters in aviation history. Air Crash Investigation looks at what went wrong and how future disasters can be averted.
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Latest episodes

Blown Away (TransAsia Flight 222) 18x02

23.02.2018

Nuts & Bolts (Emery Worldwide Flight 17) 18x01

14.02.2018

The Lost Plane 17x10

11.10.2017

On 31 July 1992, Thai Airways International Flight 311 crashes into a mountain while on final approach to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, in poor weather conditions, killing all 99 passengers and 14 crew members on board.

Deadly Discussions 17x09

04.10.2017

On 31 August 1999, LAPA Flight 3142 overruns the runway and crashes while taking off from Aeroparque Jorge Newbery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 63 of the 100 people on board and 2 on the ground. The investigation determined that the pilots forgot to extend the aircraft's flaps and slats for takeoff.

Caught on Tape 17x08

20.09.2017

On 4 February 2015, TransAsia Airways Flight 235 strikes a viaduct and crashes into the Keelung Rivershortly after takeoff from Taipei Songshan Airport, killing 43 of the 58 people on board. The causes of the crash were a malfunction of the number two engine and the pilots shutting down the wrong engine.

Terror over Egypt 17x07

19.09.2017

On 31 October 2015, Metrojet Flight 9268 disintegrates in mid-air and crashes into the Sinai Peninsula during a routine chartered flight from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport to Pulkovo Airport, killing all 224 people on board.

Deadly Mission 17x06

23.03.2018

In California's Mojave Desert, Virgin Galactic test pilots are at the controls of a revolutionary aircraft designed for sub-orbital flight . But as the spaceship accelerates toward the outer reaches of Earth's atmosphere, approaching the speed of sound, it breaks apart and falls from the sky. With the future of commercial space travel hanging in the balance, it's up to investigators to figure out what went wrong.

Deadly Display 17x05

16.03.2018

On a high-stakes demonstration flight in Indonesia, a Russianmade Sukhoi Superjet slams into a mountain killing everyone on board. It's one of the most challenging salvage operations Indonesian investigators have ever faced. Once they reach the wreckage, they must figure out how a brand new jet with an expert crew and sophisticated navigation system could crash into an infamous mountain.

Deadly Distraction 17x04

09.03.2018

En route to Salt Lake City, Delta Airlines Flight 1141 crashes just moments after lifting off from Dallas-Fort Worth airport and erupts into flames. Of the 108 people on board, 94 make it off the plane alive while 14 die trying to escape the smoke and flames. It's clear that neither the runway nor the weather is to blame, so investigators know there's a problem with either the plane itself or its configuration.

Nuts and Bolts 17x03

02.03.2018

Moments after taking off from a California airport, an American cargo plane needs to make an emergency landing. The pilots manage to bring their DC-8 to within sight of the runway, but the crippled plane crashes into an automobile salvage yard one mile east of the airport . To try to understand what went wrong, investigators call on a friend and colleague of the crew. But it will take more digging and hard evidence to understand what doomed the crew of Emery Worldwide Flight 17.